Thunderbird Golf Resort - Poro Point. A New Shining Star in the Philippines (2008)

In early 2008, Republic of the Philippines’ President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo formally opened the first phase of the Thunderbird Resort – Poro Point leisure and tourism complex located in San Fernando, La Union, Philippines.  This new resort, complete with a 9-hole golf course, entertainment and  casino, is intended to put La Union on the world map of major tourist destinations. 

While pledging to invest $100 million over a 25-year period, Thunderbird has also contributed $10 million for the upgrade of the San Fernando Airport, which will enable it to accommodate larger aircraft like Airbus 320 and Boeing 737’s.   

Strategically positioned in the Poro Point Special Economic and Freeport Zone, Thunderbird Resorts - Poro Point is home of The Cliffs Golf Course & Beach Club and Fiesta Casino.  It is part of the Philippine government’s plan for San Fernando, La Union, to be developed into a tourism attraction that can compete with Phuket and Bali. Home of the Voice of America (VOA) and a former US military station, Poro Point’s close proximity to other Asian countries and territories like Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Taiwan, Macau, Canton, Hong Kong, and Japan makes it an ideal destination for commercial service to the Asian market.

Prior to their ventures into the Philippines, Thunderbird Hotels & Resorts has been the leading gaming and integrated resort company in Central America.  In just a decade, they have made great strides in successfully developing new business opportunities while experiencing substantial growth:

• Established dynamic, themed, and integrated resort venues anchored by a total of 24 gaming and casino businesses in eight countries: Peru, Panama, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Costa Rica, India, Poland and the Philippines.
• Collectively, Thunderbird Resorts offers 3,800 slot machines, and 1,300 table positions.
• Market share leader in Peru, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Guatemala.
• The Fiesta Casino at the El Panama Hotel is now one of the largest revenue producing casinos in Latin America.
• Two operations have been opened in the Philippines which will serve as a platform to the entire Southeast Asian market (Thunderbird Resorts – Rizal & Thunderbird Resorts – Poro Point).
• Successful development of non-gaming entertainment businesses. Eight bars collectively serve over 10,000 beverages per day.  The first restaurant within the company serves 15,000 meals a month. The Performing Arts division has produced dancing and musical shows drawing worldwide talent.
• There are over 4,500 international employees within Thunderbird Resorts subsidiaries and affiliate companies.
• Thunderbird Resorts manage over US $125 million in gaming revenues.
• Currently, there are two hotels and resorts under construction with a pipeline of over $85 million global projects.

 

I had the pleasure of spending a couple weeks at the Poro Point property as they prepared for their Grand Opening in May 2008.   Below are a few questions I had for them as they went through their first full month of operations:

-        [BH] What are the venues at Poro Point?

[Thunderbird]  Thunderbird Resorts - Poro Point features a world-class casino, a 36-room luxury hotel, a par 36 9-hole Golf Course, watersports and fine-dining and restaurant, bar and entertainment facilities.

-        [BH] The Poro Point property is a 5 hour drive from Manila.  Where is the property expected guests coming from? 

[Thunderbird]  Most of the current guests are locals in the Northern provinces of the Philippines.  With its growing visibility, there have been a number of Manila-based clients who are being drawn to the resort to experience this new destination.  Upon the opening of the San Fernando Airport in August, foreign guests are expected to come from the Asia Pacific region - namely Taiwan, China, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam and Thailand.

-        [BH] Golf is a part of the Poro Point property in La Union, Philippines.  This is the first Thunderbird property with Golf.  Have there been any unique challenges implementing golf into the group? 

[Thunderbird]  Thunderbird Resorts partnered up with International Management Group (IMG) as the golf course design consultants, in order to provide expert golf course design and offer the most unique golf experience for its members; on the other hand, Sta. Elena Properties, the leading provider of golf services and facilities in the country, has also been contracted for the maintenance of the golf course, in order to set benchmarks on providing the most aesthetically pleasing fairway.

-         [BH] Along with the new golf facilities comes a unique need to source a golf solution.   Have there been any challenges in finding appropriate Golf & Membership software?

[Thunderbird]  It’s nothing but the best for Thunderbird Resorts, as we have invested in the Concept Software System, a leading supplier of systems for golf and leisure facilities. Our current software supports the golf component of the company, and later down the line, can support our spa and other leisure services.

-        [BH] IT Plays an important role in the success of a multinational organization. What has been the resorts experience in sourcing PMS and POS Solutions in the Philippines?

[Thunderbird]  As far as IT is concerned, we never encountered great challenges in sourcing PMS and POS Solutions since the Micros & Opera systems have already been in place in our other properties in Latin America. When we ventured to the Philippines, the first thing that we did was to check if Micros had a presence in this country. Luckily they have already established their niche here - that made things easier for us.

-        [BH] Has the Property's remote location had an impact on finding qualified IT & Managerial Staffing?

[Thunderbird] In a way yes, but when we hire people in IT, they first need to meet the minimum requirements, and then they undergo a rigorous training to acquire the needed skill and expertise. The training is anchored on prescribed company policies and procedures.

I appreciate the time the management team at Thunderbird Resort – Poro Point gave to me during the course of recent months.